Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Launching in San Diego at the APhA 2015 Annual Meeting & Exposition, Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs is the new digital resource of the widely used Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook, now continuously updated (online) with the most current drug information for pharmacists.
“Access to up-to-date drug information is key in understanding the significant differences between prescribing medications for people versus pets,” explains Donald C. Plumb, PharmD, who created Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs in partnership with Brief Media.
A single 325-mg tablet of acetaminophen, commonly used in human medicine, can be lethal for a cat, Plumb warns, noting that in comparison cats may receive low-dose [81-mg baby] aspirin, but administered with care because of a very long half-life in cats.
Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs features user-friendly tools that help promote safe use of human medications in pets. “With more and more human drugs being scripted out for use in companion animals, it is really important for human pharmacists to be aware of veterinary-specific contraindications and dosing,” says Lauren A. Trepanier, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DACVCP, an internist and pharmacologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Plumb clarifies: Varied blood concentrations and elimination of human drugs when used in dogs [more blood volume/kg, faster glomerular rate] necessitate adapting different dose protocols. Likewise, substitutions common in filling human prescriptions may not be appropriate for animals, he says, adding that Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs gives instant access from pharmacy computers to all the information needed to confirm dose strategies and substitutions.
The more than 700 monographs featured in Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs, coupled with appendices on multidrug sensitivities and potential toxins, help make prescribing safer and [will] facilitate communication between commercial pharmacies and veterinarians, adds Trepanier.
Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs, the culmination of an innovative partnership between Dr. Plumb and Brief Media, is being offered to pharmacists with a variety of options for connection to the new digital platform.
Additional details and subscribing information for Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs are available at www.plumbsveterinarydrugs.com.